Uncertainty
by Pathetic Krypton
Summary: Five years have passed since the war, and Sokka is surprised by a sudden letter from Zuko.  It seems Zuko found out his mother is alive, and he's ready to find her. Zuko/Sokka SLASH
1. Part one

Sokka hadn't seen Zuko in over five years, and as far as he could recollect he hadn't even given the young Fire Lord much thought, either. After the war, everyone drifted quickly back into their own worlds. Sokka and Katara returned to the southern water tribe with their father, even if Katara did eventually become Aang's constant travel companion as he floated between nations. Toph had gone back to her family, though only because they promised she would be less sheltered and more available to do things like help repair the damage done by the fire nation and enter the occasional wrestling tournament. Even Suki returned to her Kyoshi warriors and what was left of their island, though she wrote to Sokka constantly in the beginning of that time and even just a few months after the war he knew that they'd mostly restored the Kyoshi temple and the surrounding village. Then there was Zuko, who had remained on his throne as the Fire Lord.

It wasn't like Sokka intended to forget him, or any of his friends. Over the following years, Suki and Sokka wrote each other less and less, and eventually they'd stopped all together. The last he'd heard of her, she was planning to marry an Earthbender, but that was as much as Sokka could remember about him. He'd wanted to write Toph, had even begun to write a few letters, but in the end he wasn't sure what to say to her knowing that her likely response would be some form of her usual one-lined banter and so gave up.

With Zuko, it was a mixed feeling. He never started a letter to him, never had any kind of message for Katara to transpose when Aang would come to fetch her up. In the end, Sokka felt it best not to try to retain his relationship with the Fire Lord. After all, Zuko would have his hands full with repairing all the damage his great-grandfather had caused when he started the war. Sokka didn't think doing something like trying to reverse 100 years of war would leave someone with a lot of personal time.

Yet, still, five years after the war, a messenger from the fire nation delivered a letter addressed specifically to Sokka. From the Fire Lord himself.

Sokka felt immediately guilty on receiving it, his friendship with the Fire Lord hardly a memory, and yet here... Zuko had thought about him, even if briefly, enough to write him a letter. That feeling only increased as he read it, realizing almost sadly that his choice to keep his distance from the Firebender was a mistake. Zuko explained his reluctance to write, at first, fearing that perhaps Sokka hadn't been quite as interested in Zuko as Zuko had been in Sokka, yet Zuko confessed that he needed Sokka's leadership and strategy for a very specific mission, and so had no choice but to write him and ask if he would give up a month of his time to help him out.

The letter was brief, and Zuko didn't exactly define what the mission would entail, but Sokka knew immediately that whatever Zuko needed, Sokka could provide. He'd been a negligent friend for five years, and he owed it to him.

Besides, the village was much too peaceful for a wild man like Sokka. He needed a dose of adventure, an escape from the domesticity he'd been subjected to after the war ended. Or rather... he'd subjected himself to the life he was currently living. At only sixteen, he'd resigned himself to never leave the village again. After all, he may have been the Avatar's friend but he was no bender, no true warrior. He had been too young and too inexperienced then.

When he approached his father about the matter, Hakoda was quick to support his trip. "You're too much like I was when I was your age. You can't stay cooped up here in this village, especially after all the traveling you did with the Avatar." Sokka eagerly agreed.

Though Sokka was immediately excited to leave, he found that he couldn't go anywhere for nearly three weeks after. He'd replied in kind to Zuko's letter only to receive another in return explaining that Zuko planned to leave the fire nation after he finished a particularly tense negotiation with a village in the earth kingdom. At which point, if he was successful in appeasing both sides, he would pack a ship and head immediately for Sokka.

The worst part was that Sokka couldn't be sure exactly how long it would take. It could have been a few days or a few months or even a year, and every day that went by left Sokka more and more restless. He found himself roughhousing with the village children, going out more often to hunt, and even Gran-gran commented on his inability to sit still for even a second.

By the time Zuko finally arrived, the entire village was ready to throw Sokka into the ocean for all the trouble he was causing.

His good-bye was almost ironically befitting of him, given that most people were sighing in relief just seeing the fire nation ship docking, while others were cheering and laughing.

Gran-gran, of course, simply smiled and hugged him, promising him a hearty dinner on his return.

Hakoda was the only one unnaturally calm about the whole ordeal. When the ship's plank dropped he pulled his son into a tight embrace. "I hope you find what you're looking for out there," he said before pulling away. "And don't break too many hearts wherever you go."

Sokka scoffed at that. "Oh, please, dad, how many hearts do you think there will be to break on a ship full of fire nation soldiers and their hot-head prince?"

A hand dropped on Sokka's shoulder and he yelped. "I think you mean hot-head Fire Lord, don't you?"

Hakoda let out a loud laugh.

Sokka spun around, now face to face with Zuko, who he hadn't seen in a good long time. He gave a small laugh, but it faltered just a bit, his mind too busy trying to connect this tall, much more regal, Zuko to the awkward, sulky, Zuko he'd once known. Because, now, his friend looked so mature, so... sure of himself. He wore his crown like a well-seasoned Fire Lord, as if he never spent years in banishment, as if he never knew what it was like to live like a peasant or fight in a war.

Of course, many things remained the same. Zuko's scar was still his prominent feature, though the edges were a little more faded.

And then Zuko pulled Sokka into a hug and for a moment Sokka tensed up at the contact before returning the gesture, however awkwardly. "It's been a long time," Zuko said quietly as he pulled away.

"Not long enough, if you ask me," Sokka blurted out, and then guffawed and patted Zuko good-naturedly on the shoulder when the Fire Lord fixed him with a clueless stare. "I'm just messing with you, jerk. Now let's get going before the village decides I should just swim my way there."

Zuko rewarded him with a small smile as the two boarded Zuko's ship, Sokka's only belongings in a ruck-sack draped across his shoulder. It almost felt like the old times. Maybe this is what would have happened if Zuko had been on their side from the beginning. But Sokka didn't like to think of that time. In the beginning of their friendship, just forgetting had made liking Zuko that much easier.

Once on-board, Zuko turned and glanced briefly at Sokka's ruck-sack. "Is that really all you're bringing?" Though his words seemed almost snide, his tone of voice was more innocent, as though he really were surprised that Sokka didn't plan on taking more than what was absolutely necessary.

Sokka smirked. "Well, what do I need, really? You're the freakin' Fire Lord after all."

Zuko sighed. "You're right about that, I am the freakin' Fire Lord." Then he shook his head, rubbed the back of his neck, and then straightened up just a little. "Well, let me show you where you'll be sleeping."

He led Sokka down into the ship as it pulled away from the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka barely had time to see his home fade into the distance, consumed by the water as the ship sailed away, but he was grateful for that, too afraid that he might change his mind and spill the beans to Zuko that he wasn't sure he was the right person for whatever it was Zuko needed.

As Zuko led him down stairs and down a long corridor, he knew it was too late to speak up. What was done was done, and for better or worse he was stuck with Zuko just like Zuko was stuck with him, at least until they completed this mission or Zuko found someone better to help him out and sent Sokka back home.

"You'll be sleeping here," Zuko finally piped up, standing in front of an ornate door made of dark metal, the Fire Nation insignia appearing almost alive in the firelight. And then he opened the door and Sokka nearly gasped in surprise to find that the inside was absolutely nothing like the outside.

In fact, he was almost embarrassed to find that Zuko had gone through the trouble of decorating his temporary room in the colors and furnishings of a typical water tribe room. The only real difference being that no water tribesman would sleep in a room as big as what was being offered. An entire hut may have been that large, but certainly not a single room.

Zuko, at least, looked rightfully sheepish as Sokka walked in. "I... figured you'd be more comfortable sleeping somewhere that might remind you of home." And of course he was right, but Sokka wasn't sure what to make of Zuko's thoughtfulness. It only piled onto his already rather heavy guilt about this whole thing.

Instead of offering Zuko thanks, Sokka casually dropped his ruck-sack on the floor and turned to the Fire Lord. "Well, now that I have a bed, let's get down to business!"

For a split second, Sokka saw Zuko's face light up but it was so quick he wasn't even sure he'd seen it in the first place. Zuko's skin was endlessly pale, and it was possible the firelight was playing tricks on his mind surrounded by the polished black metal of the walls of his room. Then he spoke, "right, let's... head to my chambers. I already have a map and a strategy ready."

Sokka wanted to ask, then, why Zuko needed him if he'd already created a plan but the words died in his throat before he could voice them. He wasn't sure why. He just followed the Fire Lord, across the hall, and into his own ample chambers.

It appeared that Zuko was occupying his own little apartment, with a front room and possibly a bedroom to the back hidden behind a door left casually ajar enough for Sokka to see the elegant bed against the back wall draped in heavy red blankets and pillows.

Zuko pulled his attention back to the front room, to a messy desk off to the side where he shuffled a few scrolls and even shoved some to the floor to deal with later while he spread out a slightly worn map of the world.

"So... what are we even doing?" Sokka finally asked, searching the map for clues, though from what he could tell they were likely to be searching for something. Several places were dotted and crossed out, though a few dots remained untouched. Some were erased completely.

"My... my mother," Zuko finally said, licking his lips, his voice a little strained. "I... I think I know where she is, and... I don't know, you're the best hunter I know so I figured you would be invaluable for this mission."

"O-oh. Yeah," Sokka said awkwardly. He stepped closer to the desk, leaned his hands on the edge as he looked more closely at the map. "So what do you have so far? What's our leads?"

Zuko cleared his throat. "Well, so far... not much. You can see I've already tried several places," to which he ran his fingers over one of the many crossed out dots, "but... every single time it wasn't her.

"It was only recently that I found out she could actually be alive. My father told me right after the war that Azula had tracked her down before I could and killed her, but I know now that's not true. Azula was lying about killing her, but she really did find my mother, even if briefly. Right now, all I know is that she's somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, but it's so vast, and with no leads I'm not sure where to begin again." Zuko glanced up at his friend, caught his gaze. "This is where you come in. What do I do?"

Sokka broke eye contact to return to the map, looking over the spots marked in the Earth Kingdom and for a long moment he just studied the patterns that formed between the locations. "Do you have any other leads? I mean, we definitely know where she's NOT, but... just knowing she's in the Earth Kingdom is..."

Zuko sighed. "I know, it's not much to work with. However, my uncle seems to think she's taken up living in the most deserted place possible. My father made her leave, made her hide somewhere deep in the Earth Kingdom and she simply... never came home."

Sokka frowned, gently resting a hand on Zuko's shoulder, which sagged considerably under the weight of his hand. "Zuko-"

"I know, I know, she really might be... gone... but there's still hope. I mean, look at all we've accomplished. I never... It's just that Aang... he's so optimistic, like he knows something, and I want to find out what it is. He told me, right after Azula confessed, that I should go find her. He wouldn't tell me to go on a wild possumgoose chase like this unless she was really alive, right?"

Zuko's eyes were full of expectant hope, and Sokka almost cringed under the weight of his gaze. Of course, he knew Aang, he knew that he wouldn't put Zuko up to a mission like this unless Zuko's mother truly was still alive. But at the same time, Aang was still young yet, still full of childhood optimism that could likely cloud his sense of reality. Sokka didn't know if Zuko's mother was alive or not, but at least he knew that was something he couldn't say to Zuko. "Of course, Aang's the Avatar after all. It's like it's his job to make stuff like this happen, isn't it?"

The Fire Lord's mouth split into a grin at that, and Sokka couldn't help but smile back.

"Now, if Iroh thinks she's in the middle of nowhere in the Earth Kingdom, then that's probably the best place for us to start." He dropped his finger on the map, to an area landlocked and deep in nothingness. "This area here is all forests. There might be a few very small family-sized communities, and she's likely among them." He traced his fingertip across the area in a specific pattern. "If we're smart about it, we'll strategically comb the area for signs of life and then signs of your mother. Though if you had more men this would be easier."

Zuko shook his head. "No, I want this to remain a small operation. I don't want her to get involved in anything hostile, and I'm afraid if the whole world knew I was looking for her the wrong people might take that as an opportunity to use her as a bargaining chip for whatever it was they were after."

Sokka nodded. "That makes sense. But... what do your people think you're doing right now? Did you tell them you were taking a little vacation on a battleship with a small army of soldiers or... what?"

"Yeah! How did you know?", Zuko asked, feigning excitement. He then nudged Sokka with his elbow. "Really, though, you think I couldn't come up with a better excuse than that? No, no one but a few trusted military officials know that I'm on this ship right now. Everyone else thinks I'm on a luxury cruiser with Mai celebrating our engagement."

The news almost took him by surprise. Then he said, "oh wow, man, congratulations! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Zuko's lips curled up just a little, almost sadly. "It's... it's not really something to celebrate. Our parents have been planning for us to be married ever since we were kids.

"But that's not important. I'm going to inform the crew of our new coordinates. Feel free to look around and familiarize yourself with the ship. I'll come find you before supper."

Sokka nodded as Zuko rolled up the map and headed for the door. Sokka followed.

Once in the hall, the pair took opposite routes, Sokka thinking it best if he give Zuko space instead of crowding him. They were likely to spend a month or more together, there would be time to annoy Zuko later, after he knew where everything was located.

True to his word, Zuko found Sokka hours later, poking around the small collection of scrolls in the defunct war room aboard the ship. Instead of being the place for plotting violence it now functioned as a storage room for excess equipment and information. Sokka's eyes brightened seeing all the dusty scrolls organized along the wall and he immediately planted himself on the floor and began thoroughly devouring everything from battle techniques to one particular scroll that described the best way to make jerky from a sabertooth moose-lion.

Zuko chuckled, startling the water tribesman. "How did I know I'd find you here?"

Sokka stood, rolling up the scroll. "Ohhh I dunno. It's just always been my DREAM to find Fire Nation war secrets... not to mention I found this recipe for moose-lion JERKY..."

Zuko couldn't help the smile that crept onto his lips to see Sokka's childish enthusiasm for knowledge. Though just as quickly as he spoke, Sokka's stomach made a very insistent growl and for that, Zuko outright chuckled. "I guess reading those old recipes made you hungry. C'mon, the kitchen saved us some plates. We were both rather distracted for a while," he admitted with a shrug, leading the tribesman out of the old war room and down to the mess.

True to word, the mess was near-completely devoid of soldiers. The two young men quietly grabbed their plates.

Sitting down, Sokka took a deep whiff of the Fire Nation staple food. "Ahh, fire nation cuisine. I definitely didn't miss THIS!", he joked.

Zuko frowned, fork paused mid-way between mouth and plate. "What's wrong with our food, huh?"

Sokka shook his head as though the dish of rice and pork in front of them were a matter of wisdom and Zuko didn't quite understand the lesson. "It's not that fire nation food is BAD, necessarily, but nothing beats eel soup and stewed seaprunes."

The dignified Fire Lord made a childish face of disgust. "Stewed... seaprunes?"

Sokka nodded, enthusiastic about his favorite childhood dish. "Oh, it's the BEST, after two days of cooking, the seaprunes get all salty and SLIMY-"

"Please! Sokka," he said, more gentle, "I get it, you like your people's food better than mine." There was a moment of silence, where Sokka shrugged and then quickly dug in while Zuko took measured bites. Then he paused his fork at his mouth. "Though, if you like, I'm sure we could take a detour and make something a little more to your taste."

Sokka could have blushed at the offer, but Sokka wasn't some delicate maiden. He couldn't, however, stop the small grateful smile that formed on his lips.

"Except for stewed seaprunes. I can't imagine eating anything slimy." Zuko shuddered.

The water tribesman immediately glared at his friend. "Hey now, you don't even know what they taste like! What if you really like them, huh?"

Zuko exaggerated a look of deep concern, setting his fork down determinedly. "You're absolutely right, I shouldn't discriminate against a dish I haven't tried. Especially one described as salty and slimy." Again, for a split second, Zuko cringed imagining it.

Sokka rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, I think it takes some getting used to. Aang never seemed to like Katara's water tribe dishes much either."

Hearing that, Zuko stifled a laugh. "Aang's told me that. Apparently she tries to get him to eat water tribe food every once in a while, and every single time he has to force himself to eat it for Katara's sake."

They shared a laugh at the Avatar's expense. "Poor Aang. My sister can be really driven when she's in the mood for it."

Zuko sighed, a rueful smile on his lips. "Trust me, I know what you mean."

"Aww, Zuko, you know she likes you okay now. She just didn't know you back then, that's all." Sokka snickered. "You know she writes about you in her letters, when her and Aang are at your palace."

The Firelord perked up a little at that. "Oh yeah? What kinds of things does she say?"

Sokka tapped his chin. "Well, it's mostly things like... 'Oh that Zuko is still just as gloomy as ever.' and 'If Zuko frowned any more his mouth would fall off his face.'"

"Your sister really said that about me?"

Sokka shrugged. "I know, it's hard to believe Katara would make a joke, but we do have the same dad and all."

Zuko nodded. "Chief Hakoda does have a... peculiar sense of humor."

Sokka laughed.

The first three days aboard the Fire Nation battleship where the slowest days of their journey. By the end of the first full day, Sokka had devoured the scrolls in the war room and moved on to the scrolls Zuko kept for himself. He'd also explored nearly every nook the ship had to offer, finding little except for the small hidey-hole that was probably there for Zuko's sake in case the ship were ever captured.

By the end of the second full day, Sokka's boredom was beginning to reach epic proportions, and he wondered why he'd forgotten this part of traveling. At least, here he was on a full ship instead of just the carry basket fastened to Appa's back, which did offer a load more to do than simply stare at his traveling companions all day.

Still, being bored was still being bored whether it be on the back of a flying bison or in his temporary room on a war ship, and all the while Zuko was either busy doing work from home or writing letters to ambassadors or... whatever else it was that occupied so much of Zuko's time. Zuko didn't dish out too many details about his work. They only saw one another at meal times, and at night after dinner they were able to hang out for a few hours, but they never did much more than talk.

On the night of the third day, Sokka burst into Zuko's room with determination on his face and his hand on the hilt of his space sword. "Let's spar!"

Zuko was startled by the abruptness of the order, but Sokka could tell that this was exactly what Zuko wanted anyway by the grin on his face as he collected his dual blades and nearly raced Sokka to the deck where they'd have ample room to fight.

The deck was mostly empty save for a few soldiers milling about, and Zuko and Sokka were quick to take advantage of that, each drawing their weapons and getting into a fighting stance.

They each paused for a second, eying the other for weak spots, for the opportunity to strike, before Sokka launched his attack with a battle cry. He swept his blade across Zuko's torso, or what would have been had the other man not jumped back.

Zuko wasn't passive for long, taking advantage of the lag Sokka had to take to bring his blade back around to position himself behind his friend, moving in to draw the back of one of his blades hard on Sokka's back, though Sokka was mostly built like a tank and so only stumbled instead of dropped.

Turning around, Sokka swung at Zuko, feet planted firmly. His steel was met with Zuko's, momentarily, before the space sword slid off and down and Zuko quickly caught Sokka across his wrist causing his sword to slide hard across the deck.

It had only taken Zuko a minute to disarm him, but Sokka wasn't entirely weapons-free without his weapon. He was still a soldier, and he proved just that by ducking hard under Zuko's swords and catching his friend by the waist, dropping him to the ground only out of surprise as Sokka's hands scrabbled to free Zuko's of his blades as well.

With a heavy clunk, they were both suddenly disarmed.

Sokka only hesitated a fraction of a second before gathering Zuko up around his neck, trying to put him in a chokehold, but the Firelord was fast, and smooth, and easily slipped out of the Water Tribesman's grip only to wrestle him down underneath him so he could reverse their positions.

Sokka struggled against Zuko, who was planted firmly on top of him by locking his hips against Sokka's, his legs clamped down Sokka's legs while his arm locked tight across Sokka's throat.

Sokka wheezed, his fingers digging into Zuko's forearm for mercy while his body writhed under his friend's, and something happened, something strange, before Zuko was suddenly up and off him, maybe apologizing, but Sokka hadn't realized just how much your vision blurred or your hearing was muffled just from being put in a chokehold.

Of course, the feeling didn't last long enough to leave an impression and, before Zuko even finished a sentence, Sokka was getting to his feet. Then he said, "I am REALLY out of practice," and retrieved his sword for round two.

Their second fight lasted quite a bit longer—it seemed that Sokka suddenly remembered much of what he'd learned about technique, being able to block most of Zuko's swings while delivering one or two of his own. He'd even succeeded in rending Zuko down to a single sword until he managed to maneuver himself to gather up the lost blade only minutes after losing it.

It was this fight that set the pace for the rest of their evening. Both men displayed great care for their swords—that was obvious—and for their own techniques in handling these weapons, and even without them they were near-equally skilled.

Of course, Sokka had no way of knowing that part of Zuko's strict regimen his first three years as Firelord included extensive combat training, while Sokka had only the weathered warriors left from a war that ravaged all families alike. Most times, he would be fighting his own father if he fought at all.

By the end of the night, Sokka regretted making the suggestion to spar in the first place. He'd never felt so sore in his life, not even after they'd defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko, on the other hand, looked rejuvenated somehow, as though there was a subtle bounce in his step that hadn't been there before they started.

Once down the hall, Sokka leaned heavily on his door for a moment. The Fire Lord let out a small chuckle. "You were telling the truth, I see."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "About what?", he asked as he turned to lean his back against the door so he could look at his friend.

"About being out of practice," Zuko said casually, leaning against his own door across from Sokka.

The man could have blushed. "Yeah, well, it's just me and the older soldiers back home, and they basically never wanna spar with me."

"Well... " Zuko started awkwardly, but then smiled just a little, "at least now you have someone to spar with."

Sokka couldn't help smiling back just a little. "Yeah, you're right," he said, and then he made his way into his room and collapsed on his bed as soon as the door shut. Sokka was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

The next night ended much the same. Sokka lost nearly every fight, and when it was over he was sore in some awkward places, but he knew it would be worth it in the end. He wanted desperately to improve his skills, had wanted only that even as a child, and Zuko was the perfect opponent simply because he was better than Sokka.

It was a full week before they finally docked at a small Earth Kingdom village. Unfortunately, they were only there so Zuko could sign some documents in front of the village's leader. Even more unfortunately, Zuko had to spend three days prior to signing some documents watching historical seminars that explained the village's rich history and political background.

And what would be the cherry on top of this whole stop was that Sokka couldn't even go with him which meant that Sokka would be left to his own devices in the middle of no where.

Of course, when they finally docked, they all surprisingly found that the village was also host to an extravagant carnival. They could see the lights far off in the ocean, and as they'd grown closer they found lines and lines of funhouse tents, fortune tellers, food, games...

That was exactly where Sokka wanted to be, and he made Zuko know that the second he'd realized it was a carnival by nearly jumping on the Fire lord's back and demanding to be taken to the carnival immediately.

Zuko spluttered at the assault, trying to dissuade Sokka mutely while detaching the Water Tribe man from his back simultaneously. Though after a moment, the Firebender had quite enough of that and all together shoved Sokka off him. "If you want to go so bad, just go! Why are you jumping all over ME?"

Sokka looked confused, and then a little sad. He held his index fingers together, eyes on the ground, playing the part of the perfect little innocent. "I just thought that... maybe we could go together?"

The firebender let the smallest of smiles break his mood. He crossed his arms. "Okay, but... it'll have to wait. I'm supposed to be getting ready to meet the chief." Then he casually waved the Water tribesman away. "Now, go play games and get drunk all day why don't you."

Sokka sighed. "Fine, fine, go... sit and be bored all day why don't you. And by YOURSELF, even," Sokka added with a pout.

–

Though loathe to admit it, Sokka didn't think he entirely minded going to the carnival alone. Zuko mentioned alcohol, which meant there were likely women, which meant that Sokka could either make an ass of himself or a casa nova, depending on the local ladies.

Once in the carnival, however, it was an entirely different matter. He hadn't expected so many games of strategy and strength and skill... it was a huge testing ground, and each test he passed would result in some kind of adorable little prize (but the prize meant that he had won the game, and he certainly didn't care at all about how fluffy and cute those prizes were!).

The first game he came to was a simple hammer and a pedestal meant to be hammered. The goal seemed to be to get a small ball in a net held high up. Rubbing his hands together, Sokka set out to spend all the money he had with him.

He picked up the hammer.

–

Sokka didn't remember how he'd gone from playing games to drinking, though he was sure finding a firewhiskey cart just a few booths down had something to do with it. In the end, he'd had maybe one shot too many, and after unsuccessfully playing a few more games and spending way more money than he realistically should have spent he decided he should do his best to make it back to Zuko's ship.

The only trouble was, he couldn't remember which way to go through the village. He could see the ship, and the ocean, but the roads didn't seem to make perfect sense in his head, and somehow he ended up across town instead of down at the docks.

It was well into the night, but somehow, some of the streets were still dimly lit up by candlelight. He could see a figure emerging from a building, and for some reason... he recognized them, decided that clinging to whomever it was would be the best course of action and used his wolf-like instincts to tackle his prey.

In the morning, Sokka wouldn't remember how Zuko tenderly helped him to his feet and wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him like a toddler back to the ship where he laid him on his bed to sleep off the firewhiskey.

In the morning, instead, all Sokka could remember was the hard taste of alcohol on the back of his tongue, and with that something new, an ache that ran from the top of his head to the bottom of his stomach. As though his whole body were revolting against him.

He immediately went back to sleep, not willing to wake up until he felt like he were actually alive and not really in hell or something.

–

It was Zuko that woke Sokka next, huffing into his room, thumping down on the opposite side of his bed. Sokka rolled over lazily and eyed his friend. "What happened to you?" he grumbled.

Zuko eyed him back. "I could say the same," he retorted, eyebrow rising almost smugly. He resumed pouting when Sokka shot him a glare. "It's just..." He growled in frustration. "I don't mean to be crass, but.. this village is boring! It's... beyond pointless sitting through their history. Ha, you know what they showed me my first day in that playhouse? They made me sit through eight hours of describing, in amazing detail mind you, the process for milling rice! It was maddening!" He flung himself down next to Sokka. "I don't think I can do this again," he admitted quietly.

Sokka reached up and dropped his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Dude... that sucks."

Zuko gave Sokka a long glance. "Thanks," he spat in return.

–

The next morning started with Sokka bursting into the Fire lord's bedroom well before dawn. The dark-skinned man jumped enthusiastically on top of his sleeping friend, Zuko nearly shooting up like a rocket from the assault, giving an undignified yelp.

Sokka burst out laughing, easing off now that Zuko was awake. "I figured it out!"

Zuko frowned deeply, rubbing his eyes in an effort to understand why in all hell Sokka couldn't WAIT to bother him. "Figured WHAT out?"

"How to get you out of going back to the playhouse!", he announced happily.

Suddenly, Zuko wasn't quite so mad at his friend. Instead, he sat up a little more, his frown near gone at the news. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, look, you just have to... pretend you're sick or something! Like you... have the fire measles!" Sokka smiled glamorously.

Zuko slumped a little. "That might work except there's no such thing as fire measles. And there's no such thing as a sick day when you're the Fire lord."

Sokka sighed, threw his hands up. "What, you can't just be like... 'everyone leave me alone today!' or whatever it is you do for privacy?'"

"And, what?, get stuck in here all day? I'd rather sit through another day at the playhouse, thank you very much!"

Zuko went to stand, but Sokka pushed him back down, moving to straddle his waist to more effectively convince him of his idea. Sokka licked his lips. "We'll go to the carnival! You can wear a disguise, okay!"

The Fire Lord's face went a little paler, though Sokka pretended not to notice. He also didn't notice the warmth of Zuko's hand on his thigh, keeping him steady on his lap. "Yeah? What kind of disguise do you suggest?"

Sokka thought for a moment, studying Zuko's face. Then he smiled an evil, thoughtful, little smile. "I got it," he said, and he reached behind Zuko's head and freed his ponytail, adjusting the silky black locks that fell into Zuko's face. Zuko was entirely unprepared for the feeling of Sokka's fingers running through his hair, trying to part it differently so that it mostly covered his scar. Zuko sat helplessly still while Sokka worked, and released the grip he didn't seem to realize he was holding on Sokka's knee when the other man was done.

"There! Now, I bet if you wore some Earth Kingdom clothes, you'd be all set!"

Zuko could only hope for that much to be true.

Nearly an hour later, they'd found an old Earth Kingdom outfit, though it was hardly befitting of a Fire lord. For disguise purposes it was perfect, however. And Sokka thought the vibrant greens really brought out the gold of Zuko's eyes, and it made his hair look even inkier black than the Fire Nation reds he normally wore.

Sokka was in the room when Zuko declared he was too sick to even leave his bed, and Sokka played the part of the concerned friend when he slipped out to declare that he would take care of him.

Zuko couldn't tell if Sokka was just that good of an actor, or if his adviser was secretly consenting to his playing hookey from an important meeting—either way, it allowed them to move on to the next phase of their plan: escaping the ship without being noticed.

Of course, and without even really entirely planning it, they happened to approach the deck at a time when nearly all of the soldiers aboard had already taken off for the carnival, and those that remained were still sleeping. Getting into the village was a pleasant cake walk, and Sokka thought it almost unreal that they were really really going to get away with their half-assed scheme to mess around all day.

It all sunk in as soon as Sokka saw the familiar lights, already bright as ever in the middle of the day. Zuko looked only slightly stunned to see it, though Sokka couldn't imagine that the Fire Nation didn't have something ten times grander than this carnival to offer in its borders.

But they did everything. Even though they were supposed to be playing low-key, Zuko still brought more than enough money, and so they did their best to drain his funds in the game booths winning the cute prizes and then giving them away to the local children. It had been Zuko to suggest it. Sokka didn't want to admit that the only reason he didn't have any prizes from the night before was that he had forgotten them after his last shot of firewhiskey.

Not that he really minded. He could always get others. Even though he named them. Sniff.

As they browsed the booths, there was one particular stuffed plush that kept appearing at the games, and Sokka felt his want for the fluffy thing grow exponentially every time they passed it. A fluffy unicorn, with pink tufts of fur. So adorable!

"Let's try this one," Zuko suggested, moving up to the ball toss stand. Sokka could see the pink unicorn hanging from the wall. Zuko paid for a game, took aim, and knocked all three bottles to the ground with one well-focused throw.

The man smiled, though Sokka could tell he was a little surprised. "Go ahead, young man, pick your prize!"

Sokka had to wonder what Zuko was thinking. Other than the prized unicorn there only seemed to be scaly bullfrog pillows and snakes that were otherworldly colors. "That," Zuko said casually, taking the coveted unicorn in his hands when the man gave it to him. He only held it for a moment, though, before turning to Sokka, offering the fuzzy thing tentatively. "Here, I saw you looking at it. I didn't realize you were such a girl," he snorted, turning away, looking almost embarrassed.

Clutching the impossibly soft unicorn, Sokka indulged for a moment. It was more amazing than he'd imagined. Still, he was a man. And men did not cuddle stuffed pink unicorns. "Yeah uhh... I didn't realize we were on a date, Sparky!", he shouted, hurriedly, trying to appear nonchalant but feeling as though he stumbled and just looked stupid.

But Zuko just snorted again and brushed it off, leading them on to the next conquest of the day.

–

"Oh, c'mon, Sokka, please? I'm begging!"

"Nuh-uh, no way!" Sokka protested, arms crossed.

Before them was a contraption of Fire Nation invention, and in the years since the war the carnival had gotten their hands on it. And rightly so, since the machine was more or less a rotating wheel with evenly spaced baskets pinned to it.

And Zuko wanted to get into one of those baskets. And he wanted Sokka to get in with him.

Sokka's whole issue was with the durability of the thing. It didn't look sturdy enough in the slightest, and there seemed to be a line a mile long with people expectantly waiting their turn to board and overcrowd the towering deathtrap. Like all things Fire Nation, it was outfitted with black steel, which definitely didn't help its image.

"Just trust me, it's not going to blow up or fall over or whatever you're thinking. I've ridden one of these thousands of times!"

Sokka frowned just a fraction. "So why do you want to get on it again?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Just... just get in line with me and quit pouting," he argued.

Twenty minutes later, and Sokka still wasn't sold on the hulking pile of metal, but he found himself getting on it anyway. The small door on the basket closed and Sokka felt like it was the door closing on his life or something.

Zuko smiled. "See? Not so bad."

Then it started moving, slowly, almost dragging, as it turned to fill the next basket, and then the next, and then it began spinning in earnest, and it was all Sokka could do to just lean into Zuko, trying to escape the view presented by the rotating wheel. Up, down, up, down...

He was vaguely aware of a child shrieking with laughter a few baskets away, and Sokka envied them for enjoying it.

Zuko put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Sokka glared at it.

After his humiliation on the wheel, Zuko reluctantly pointed out the firewhiskey stand. "You wanna get a bottle to split?", he offered. And what kind of man would Sokka be if he refused?

Well, after being publicly terrified of a ride that children gleefully enjoyed, and after almost cuddling Heehaw the unicorn in front of Zuko, he felt that maybe he couldn't exactly consider himself a man anymore. Especially because he named his pink unicorn.

Sokka held up the unicorn, taking hold of its hooves and gesturing them like hands. "Heehaw like firewhiskey! Heehaw approves!", he cheered, his voice a full two octaves higher as he emulated the voice of what he imagined a pink unicorn might have.

Zuko pulled a face. "Heehaw? You named it Heehaw?"

Sokka lowered the stuffed plush to stick his tongue out at the Firelord childishly. "I don't think his name is important. How about that firewhiskey?" Sokka bared his teeth in a wide grin.

–

Zuko chuckled, but it was a little slurred, a little drawn out. "I-I'm gonna be in soo much trouble once we get back on the ship!"

Sokka shook his head. "They'll probably blame me!"

The Firelord snorted in his small fit of laughter. "Yeah, yeah... you... you're a terrible influence." Zuko smacked his lips, cautiously refilling his glass of the firewhiskey. Taking note that Sokka's glass was also empty he filled that as well.

"Man, I don-don't remember ever drinking this much."

Zuko grinned, his eyes an eerie luminous yellow. Sokka couldn't look away. "I don't know," he said, "you were pretty wasted the other night. I had to-to basically carry you." He sighed. "It was pretty cute."

Sokka stood up, wavered slightly, and leaned heavily on the table. "We need to... we should..."

Zuko stood as well, though a lot more gracefully than his friend. He wasn't entirely steady, but he was clearly more stable than Sokka. "You're right!", he admonished, quickly taking hold of Sokka's arm and, together, they stumbled away from the table.

But then Zuko stopped and Sokka whined. "Wait, wait... " He left Sokka alone momentarily, returning to the table and retrieving the pink unicorn. Only now, the pink was much brighter than before, and in Zuko's arms it never looked more ridiculous. Sokka burst out laughing when the other man handed him his plush. "Wouldn't want to leave Heehaw behind, right?"

It seemed like forever before they were back on the ship. It was too late for anyone to notice. Or too early, depending on who you asked. Zuko was pretty damn sure he'd seen the better half of his crew still drinking wildly at the carnival.

They stumbled arm in arm into Sokka's room, collapsing on the bed together. Zuko hiccuped, Sokka giggled. Somewhere in between, they met in the middle of the bed. Zuko wormed his arm under Sokka's side, Sokka draped his hand along Zuko's waist, their knees interlocked, and they fell immediately into a drunken sleep.

End part one.


	2. Part two

Thank you so much everyone for the reviews! Part 3 is well on its way to being completed, and there's also a bonus chapter in the works, so please stick around for that!

* * *

Sokka was the first one to wake the next morning to the sound of people freaking out in the hall, wondering what kind of torture befell their missing Firelord through the night.

Well, clearly Zuko hadn't been killed because... because Sokka was inexplicably spooning with him in his room. The fireball was curled up against his chest, holding Sokka's arm captive against his heart. He was snoring softly, and Sokka could see that his mouth was hanging slightly open when he sat up to rectify the missing Firelord situation outside.

However, seeing the normally guarded man lying so innocently and so... openly, it melted something inside Sokka. Zuko looked so young on his right side. Without the scar, Sokka could have easily pegged him for sixteen.

He brushed a few hairs out of Zuko's face. The Firelord froze mid-snore, eyes snapping open. With all the grace and skill expected of the leader of the Fire Nation, he rolled over and struggled to stand as fast as he could which resulted in him falling unceremoniously to the floor with a groan.

Sokka would have barked a laugh, but his head was suddenly pounding ferociously and he wanted nothing more than for everyone to start shutting up so he could get back to sleep.

He swung his legs over the side, bracing himself for the dizziness that would greet him on his feet. He rounded the bed and helped ease his friend back into a sitting position. Sokka smirked half-heartedly. "I think half a bottle of firewhiskey is half a bottle too much for you."

Zuko glowered. "You weren't exactly charming yourself," he bit back.

"They're looking for you," Sokka blurted.

The Firelord crumpled back down onto the bed, his arm flopping over his face. "Just kill me now," he whimpered.

"I think that's what they're afraid of out there."

Sokka could hear the mute laughter despite Zuko's attempt to stifle it.

It was only minutes later when the Fire lord finally rose from his friend's bed to take care of the squawking outside the door. Sokka wasn't sure what Zuko did after he left, however, as the Water Tribe man fell back into bed to kill his terrible hangover yet again.

–

Sokka wasn't sure how he'd done it, but somehow Zuko had charmed the pants off the chief of the village despite his unexpected vacation day. It seemed that no one at all had given any notice to the fact that Sokka was running wild at the carnival despite his vow to help Zuko through his illness, and all the while with another man who greatly resembled Zuko in a terrible Earth Kingdom disguise. This was even despite the fact that the next morning the missing Zuko reappeared from Sokka's room in the very same Earth Kingdom clothes the man with Sokka had been wearing the night before. It was quite a mouthful of fallacies to over-look.

Sokka didn't know if everyone had conveniently turned a blind eye,or if no one had honestly noticed, but either way it was a serious relief to know that his plan hadn't caused Zuko any trouble.

They were on the move again too soon for Sokka to know either way, too busy packing a caravan to turn their travel up into the lush forests away from the coast.

"So where are we headed anyway?", Sokka asked after traveling so far as a few miles without anyone saying a word.

Zuko tensed just a little. "There's a small village up ahead," he said quietly, "they think she might be... in a grave."

Sokka gave a small nod. "Well let's just hope she's not. How much farther until we get there?" He was quick to change the subject, not wanting Zuko to dwell too much on why they were going there, instead trying to get him to think about the journey.

But it wasn't much longer after that. They finally came to a point where they weren't far off from the village yet it was well after dark and the soldiers were getting weary having hiked in full armor. Zuko wanted to persist, but the Captain of the squad said his men wouldn't take another step until daybreak.

So they set up camp, got a good fire going in a clearing and pulled out their rolls and stripped down most of their armor to where they could relax their weary joints. Zuko just felt tense and uneasy, and being a good friend Sokka watched the almost unreadable thoughts as they flicked across Zuko's face.

Finally, Sokka stood up and stretched. "You know, since I slept all day yesterday I've still got a bunch of energy in me. Let's just hike up there right now so you know for sure."

Zuko couldn't form words at the offer. Instead, he brought himself to his feet and tied his hair back.

The two men set out alone, in the darkness. Their path was lit by the glow of the moonlight above, but it was mostly blocked by foliage. For some reason, Sokka thought of the labyrinth in the mountain, and the story Katara told him about the glowing moss. He shivered.

"We're almost there," Zuko mumbled.

And thank god, too, Sokka thought. He had been mostly lying earlier about his level of energy, only making the offer because he had been acutely aware of his friend's suffering.

The edge of the village was made obvious by the low flicker of torches on either side of the path, and further in they could see the varying shadows of mud huts and straw roofs. Further along, the huts gave way to the continuation of the path, and in the darkness... well, neither was too decided on what was waiting for them.

Zuko was stiff as a board as they wandered quietly through the center of the village, grateful for the lack of light to alert the villagers of their presence, although the village leader was already informed of their approach.

As they stepped passed the glowing comfort of the torches and into the cold darkness, Zuko raised his hand and snapped a flame onto the tips of his fingers. Before them was just as much as they expected—rows of flimsy crosses, grave markers made in haste of the rising death tolls. This was the real result of the 100 year war. Sokka felt like he'd been punched in the chest.

Zuko moved forward, sweeping his flames in close to read the names, getting more impatient the more graves he read.

There were over a hundred graves in all, with the rickety wooden crosses in place of a proper stone grave head, and Zuko meticulously scanned each one in search of his mother's name, or even an alias she might have gone by in favor of her given name.

Sokka trailed behind, unsure of what to say as the number of likely graves dwindled down to a dozen, and then five, and then... they came to the last one, and Sokka watched Zuko tense and pull in a forced breath and hold it as he led his flame to encompass the name, and then... all at once, he watched that same tension that had built up in the last hour drain out of Zuko like his very soul was leaving him.

At the same moment, his flame fizzled out and the two men knelt in the darkness and silence for a long drawn out moment.

It wasn't her. It wasn't Ursa.

"Let's get back to camp. Graveyards give me the shivers," Sokka admitted.

Zuko looked startled for a long second, and then looked immediately guilty, shooting up to his feet. "I'm sorry," he blurted.

Sokka let a small confused smile make it's way onto his mouth. "For what?"

Zuko looked away from his friend. "I just... I feel selfish for all this," he explained, though vaguely.

"You're not. I mean, I'd do the same if... if someone told me my mom might still be alive."

"That's exactly my point," Zuko sighed in frustration. "I shouldn't have asked you to come. That's what so selfish."

Sokka shrugged. "Well, just think of it like you're getting retribution for the both of us, you know? My mom isn't with us anymore, but there's a really good chance that your's is. I'm really glad you asked me to come." Sokka offered a small smile, but it was somewhat strained. After everything else, suddenly thinking about his mother again was almost too much, and they still had to make that walk back the few miles to the soldiers' camp.

Zuko didn't say anything about the genuineness of Sokka's expression, and the two headed back the way they came. Passing through the village center they couldn't help but notice that, from this angle, it was as though most of the huts were empty. It was a feeling that haunted the two all the way back to their campsite.

By the time the sun came out, both men had barely slept longer than a few minutes at a time, yet they packed up and headed for the village as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

As it had appeared the night before, almost half of the huts in the circle were slightly disheveled, almost hollow. Only a few rather gaunt looking individuals milled about. The women were impossibly thin, the children devoid of any youthful curiosity and spirit. The village was made up of ghosts, wisps of what had once been humans, but were no longer quite human in any sense.

Only the village leader seemed to have any vitality in him, ushering Zuko and Sokka and a few soldiers into his home.

Once everyone was seated, the leader handed Zuko a map. "We did have a woman named Ursa pass through here once," he began wearily. "About... eight years ago, she came with a few other Fire nation women, though it was obvious that Ursa was the only one of the group with any kind of wealth.

"She was here for half a day, asking about how we live and how the Fire nation was treating us out here in the middle of the forests." The leader let a smile play on his weathered face, looking contented for a small moment, lost in a memory. "She was as kind as she was beautiful. She's the one who helped us build the crosses marking the deaths of our loved ones.

"It's been so long, but we'll never forget what she's done for us. I marked on that map the place she was headed. She might not be there now since it's been such a long time, but it can't hurt to ask around. Someone's likely to know something of importance."

It wasn't the ideal answer, but at least it was a start, Sokka thought.

They didn't stay very long after that. Zuko did his best to thank the village leader, leaving a good portion of their rations and promising to send relief as soon as he was able to write a letter to the Fire nation. Then they were on their way again, using the new map to navigate the unnamed villages that dotted the path through the forests.

–

The next village had just as much to say about Ursa as the last had. She'd stopped there for about half a day, doing what she could to help improve their quality of life before moving on.

But something occurred to the two men as they moved along the wide path that cut through these villages. "Do you think the Fire nation soldiers made this path?" Sokka wondered out loud.

Zuko clenched his jaw just a fraction. "It's possible. On the other side of the forest is a Fire nation outpost."

Mentioning it seemed to put Zuko in a sour mood for the rest of the evening, and when they finally reached the next village on the map Zuko seemed to grit his teeth as he talked to the village leader, and didn't offer any other words for anyone else outside of the grizzled old man before he retired to the hut offered to him for the night.

–

It was like a wild possumgoose hunt. Every village they stopped in had seen her, sure, but it was such a long time ago, and they never had any more information than that she had moved to the next village over.

In the span of a few days, they'd stopped in every village on the path from the coast to the outpost that sat on the bank of the Great Green River, named so because many years of Earthbending the nearby mountains had revealed strange minerals that reacted in such a way with the water that it came out a brilliant emerald green.

The outpost was abandoned, but that was to be expected. The war had been officially over for half a decade and there was no real reason for soldiers to be occupying a place this deep in Earth kingdom territory.

What this also meant, however, was that they had now come to a dead end in their trail. No one around meant that there was no one there to tell them which way Ursa had gone from there, or if she'd even stopped at this outpost.

Sokka and Zuko and a few soldiers tore into the outpost, poring over records and maps, reading backlogs of soldier shift changes and attendance logs for anything out of the ordinary.

Hours into it, Sokka jumped up. "Aha!," he cried, waving a journal he'd found stashed in the very back of a drawer. He bounced over to Zuko, dropping the open journal in his lap. "It says here that a strange Fire nation woman and a few followers had passed by the outpost and headed up the river bank. Apparently, there's somewhat of a city about two days from here."

Zuko took the journal for a long moment, reading the passage about his mother over and over again before finally calling over the captain of the soldiers. "How many days until we intercept Iroh's cruise?"

The captain gave a small frown. "If we want to keep them from waiting, we'll have to leave here by daybreak tomorrow and head down stream."

Zuko frowned. He looked like he wanted to argue, but he kept his mouth shut firmly and after a long moment, he finally said, "Very well, I suppose. We'll camp here for the night and head out tomorrow."

Sokka gave Zuko a questioning look, and once Zuko dismissed the soldier, Sokka moved back in. "We're meeting Iroh?", he half-whispered.

Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, and Mai, too. We'll have to postpone our search for at least a few days."

–

Sokka didn't entirely understand the purpose of meeting Zuko's family until they were actually on the cruiser. Zuko was forced to bathe and and change into more formal vestments immediately after boarding, and Iroh had immediately taken post next to Sokka, a knowing smile on his face. "It is customary for those engaged in the Fire nation to see each other no less than once a week." Then, after a moment, he added. "I was also yearning for something more useful to do with myself. You see, Mai is not a very good opponent in the game of pai-sho. Coincidentally, would you like to play a game with me while we wait for them to finish?"

Sokka couldn't help but smirk just a little at that.

It was maybe an hour later when he truly regretted agreeing to play the old man. Sokka's knowledge of the game was juvenile at best, and even though Iroh assured him that he was "taking it easy" on him, Sokka was still losing miserably.

Sokka was ready to give up and admit defeat, but right at that moment Zuko re-emerged, squeaky clean and all done up like a doll. With his hair up in the Fire lord crown, and nearly every inch of his skin covered in deep red silks, Zuko was an entirely new creature.

When he spoke, though, it was obvious that he was still just socially awkward Zuko. "It's almost dinner," he said sheepishly. "If you want to get washed up and changed, my guard can lead you to the washroom."

Eager to escape his failure on the pai-sho board, Sokka agreed. Iroh chuckled at that and started putting the pa-sho tiles away as the younger Water tribesman headed to wash up.

The four of them regrouped in the dining hall, which was ridiculously over done even for a Fire nation ship. The table was large, but the four of them only occupied one end of it for the sake of conversation.

"So I noticed earlier that you are not wearing your warrior whalebone," Iroh started up, his eyes almost twinkling as he eyed Sokka across the table.

Sokka's hand went up to his neck at the reminder, but of course his choker wasn't there. He'd lost it so many years ago that he'd forgotten he'd even had it. "Yeah," he said sheepishly after a moment, his hands returning to his food, to the delicious, juicy, meat the chef on board had prepared for them.

"Tell me, who is the lucky girl who stole it from you?" Iroh continued. Zuko seemed to choke a little bit.

Sokka just looked at Iroh, deeply confused.

Iroh frowned at that. "You do not know the purpose of the whalebone necklace?" Sokka shook his head. Iroh looked almost saddened by this, as though Sokka's ignorance to a tradition of his own culture reflected badly on Iroh himself.

"In many Water tribes, it is traditional for a warrior to wear a necklace made of whalebone to let his tribe know that he is an eligible bachelor. It is said that the warrior must then marry the one who can distract him long enough to steal the necklace right off his neck."

"How barbaric," Mai added with a sigh, picking lightly at her food and looking mostly bored.

Iroh chuckled. "It does seem that way. I have not heard of many who have voluntarily donned the warrior whalebone in an effort to attract a wife in quite a few years."

Sokka shrugged. "My dad gave me that necklace before he went off to fight. No one's said anything about it actually meaning anything."

"Well," Iroh started after a short silence. "if you did not lose it as you think, it seems you are betrothed! Congratulations, Sokka!" Iroh could barely contain his laughter before finishing his words.

Sokka grumbled, crossed his arms, and pouted just a little. "Man, I hope not. I can't imagine marrying a complete stranger. Especially just for the sake of some stupid traditio—I mean, not like you guys!", he said sheepishly, realizing what he was saying. "You guys are... " Mai would have been glaring daggers into his head if she didn't look so overwhelmingly bored, and Zuko... well, Sokka couldn't bring himself to look at his friend, but he didn't doubt that he was also glaring.

Mai stood then. "It's been... fun," she almost snarled to say the word, "but I need to get in some target practice." With that, she disappeared down the hall, her plate barely touched.

Zuko rolled his eyes and stood as well. "I'll be back," he said, and disappeared after her.

Sokka turned to Iroh helplessly. He didn't think what he'd said was really all that offensive, but Mai had clearly taken it that way. Iroh gave him a small look. "You will have to excuse Mai. She means well, but she has been very frustrated after being stuck on this cruise with me as her only companion."

Something told him that wasn't the only problem, though he knew he didn't have the right to ask anything further.

Instead, the two men ate in amicable silence and after a few minutes passed their host had rejoined them, looking more upset than when he left.

"She locked herself in our room," he confessed, slumping down into his seat.

Sokka frowned, feeling guiltier than ever. "I'm really sorry about that. Is there anything I can do?"

Zuko shook his head. "She's... been like this, ever since we were advised to get married."

"So what's the problem. Isn't that what she wants anyway?" Though Sokka had a hard time believing Mai wanted anything at all in life.

Zuko looked away for a second. "I postponed the wedding to look for my mother. It's complicated."

Sokka thought for a moment. "Well, I guess that makes sense. She probably wants to get married, but at the same time she's trying to respect what it is that you want, too."

Iroh gave Zuko a pointed look at that, something that left Sokka a bit confused, and the Fire lord stood once again. "I'm sorry, but I'm not as hungry as I thought. I'll leave you two to continue," he said.

Once Sokka was sure Zuko was out of earshot, he turned to Iroh. "What was that about?"

Iroh raised his cup of tea to his lips and took a long sip. "It is unwise to dwell on it. Zuko and Mai have not been able to reconcile their differences in quite a while. I believe they are both merely looking for an escape."

"But... why don't they just break up?"

"It is not that easy at this time. Zuko must marry, and produce an heir, if he wishes to maintain the respect of his people. Hope has been very fragile in the Fire nation since the end of the war, and it is possible that problems may arise if Zuko decides not to marry Mai."

Sokka sighed. "Well... I guess I can see why Mai's acting like there's a bug up her ass."

Iroh almost snorted with a laugh.

–

"Well, our best bets are on Lyu Shi. We can't travel by the river, but we're only a few days away on foot," Sokka said, his attention completely immersed in the map on the table before him.

Zuko hummed in agreement. "We can get there in even less time because of the steam coach on board."

"The only problem I foresee is that Lyu Shi is very xenophobic. There is a very good chance that Ursa did not even make it into the city when she passed through here."

Sokka could see the hope drain out of Zuko's eyes just a little at that news.

Iroh put a heavy hand on his nephew's shoulder. "But the good news is that your uncle has many friends who live in Lyu Shi, and with the right outfits we can easily sneak in as Earth kingdom citizens to find out for sure if your mother was also as clever as us."

"So it's a plan, then!", Sokka said excitedly, rolling up the map.

–

Mai didn't seem pleased to see them off, but then again, Sokka had to admit that Mai didn't seem pleased to do anything. Nevertheless, the three men and a small handful of soldiers set out for Lyu Shi.

Their journey was almost a whole day, but was entirely uneventful. Zuko seemed on edge the entire time, but Sokka came to expect that from his friend where his mother was concerned. He and Iroh did their best to help time pass quickly, but Zuko was never quick to participate in their joking around, probably because of his anxiety over the whole trip.

It was just past dusk when they reached the high walls of the city, the stone veined with emerald green minerals that seemed to glow in the darkness.

Only Iroh stepped out of the coach to address the guards at the gate. Sokka watched as the older man handed them a letter, and after quite a bit of scrutiny, they finally waved him off and began the arduous task of lifting the huge stone gate with Earthbending.

Once inside the city, Iroh suddenly let out a sigh of relief. "I did not tell you this earlier, as I did not want to cause alarm, but my many friends here in the city are actually ghosts. I have met many soldiers from Lyu Shi during the course of the war, and they have told me of their special city where you cannot enter without a letter of recommendation from a local."

"So you... stole a letter from a soldier?", Sokka questioned.

Iroh frowned just a fraction. "Noo... I forged one," he confessed, his small frown turning into a little smirk.

It was at this time that Sokka really took a look at the city within the walls. It wasn't nearly as large as Ba Sing Se, but it definitely was impressive. The eerie green marbling in all the stone made it look surreal and beautiful at the same time, the streets dotted with fine statues, the houses detailed and ornate in ways only Earthbenders could decorate.

The only downside to the city was it's size. Even if Ursa was there, where would they even start to look for her?

"The only thing left to do is start combing the city for signs of your mom," Sokka said out loud.

Zuko looked at Sokka, then out the window for a moment. "I suppose we should start right here, and work our way back. Uncle?"

"That is a good plan, nephew, but I may have one better. You see, I have been told that the most active part of Lyu Shi is the local bath houses to the east. I believe it is there we must go in search of Ursa."

Sokka blanched at that. "And what? We'll have to bathe with other people?"

Zuko nearly smirked. "Does the idea of bathing with other people really turn you off that much?", he teased.

Sokka probably would have blushed if he weren't a warrior.

Iroh chuckled. "It is quite an experience to enjoy a hot bath with your friends. You might be surprised to find that you enjoy it, Sokka."

After finding a room to rent for the night, the three men made the short walk to the all hours bath houses to do some investigating.

Like the rest of the city, the walls were decked out in the same marbled stone, with entryways detailed like waterfalls. The main hall was decorated with two huge fountains signifying the men's side and the women's side respectively.

Sokka and Zuko kept close to Iroh, as Iroh had more experience than either of the two men combined, but getting in only required a few coins for towels and a basket to store their clothes.

It was amazing getting to the actual baths, a large stadium-like room with steam so thick Sokka couldn't make out the ceiling. The baths were all sectioned off with temporary walls made of wood, and Sokka could hear rough-housing and copious amounts of laughter.

"If you boys would like, perhaps later we can sample some of the local fire water," Iroh promised.

Zuko shook his head. "This is no time to play around. Someone in here might know where my mother is."

Iroh nodded, leading them deep into the maze of walls and baths, finally settling on one in particular that seemed to have quite a few drunk people milling about its edge.

The bath itself was maybe twenty feet across, but only three or four feet deep with ample stones for sitting. Sokka could see the way Iroh's eyes lit up seeing the steaming water, and the older man wasted no time dropping his towel and sinking into it with a sigh.

Zuko went next, gracefully pulling his towel from his body and slipping into the water. Sokka tried not to think about how his mouth went dry watching him, instead he removed his own towel and climbed in next to his friend.

From then on, it was Iroh that seemed to direct their mission. His personable nature made him an easy person to talk to, and with the added help of all the fire water he was ordering for his new friends, he couldn't get them to shut up.

Zuko just seemed to be brooding on his own, though he did look thankful to have his uncle with him. Sokka found that he was also very grateful, because the amazing bath was quite distracting, and he hadn't been this relaxed in such a long time.

He was almost drifting off to sleep when something warm and solid suddenly slumped against his side and startled him back awake. Thinking for half a second that maybe it was some drunk guy passed out, he turned to find it was only Zuko, who seemed to succumb to the warmth and comfort of the water faster than Sokka.

Sokka chuckled and brushed that one stubborn strand of hair away from Zuko's face, but as quick as he touched his friend he pulled his hand away. They were in public, after all. Even though these men didn't know who they were, he still somehow felt guilty for his action.

Luckily, Iroh didn't give him time to dwell, approaching them from outside of the bath, his towel already back in place. "Good news, we may have found Ursa," he said warmly. Then, looking at Zuko, he smiled softly. "It seems that my nephew has had as much as he can take." Gently patting his shoulder, Iroh said, "It is time for us to leave, nephew."

Zuko only seemed half-awake when he stood, precariously wrapping his towel around his waist and following Sokka's lead to the changing rooms so they could dress and head back to their room.

–

Zuko and Iroh were the first awake the next morning. By the time Sokka woke up, the other two men were already dressed and having tea and breakfast. Sokka skipped the getting dressed part to get right to the breakfast part.

"So glad you could join us, Sokka," Iroh greeted. "Once you are dressed we are going to continue our investigation in the market square."

Sokka would have squealed, but... Well, let's face it, Sokka squealed like a girl at the idea of shopping. Even though he was a warrior.

Of course, Sokka was also excited for his friend. After what Iroh said the night before, Sokka was feeling uncharacteristically hopeful about everything. Zuko, too, seemed to be in better spirits than he had been the entire time Sokka had spent with him.

When they got to the actual market, Sokka was severely disappointed. He'd thought perhaps there would be weapons stores and accessories shops, but their market seemed to consist mainly of flower stands and vegetable boutiques and growing supplies. There wasn't even a meat stand to ogle.

"My informants tell me of a woman who fits Ursa's description who runs a small flower shop nearby," Iroh said, leading them as though they were children through the narrow streets and alleys that made up the market.

After a few moments, Iroh seemed to slow, glancing around occasionally. Zuko frowned. "Are we lost?", he demanded hastily.

Iroh stopped. "Perhaps," he began slowly.

Zuko looked as though he were about to huff, but he swallowed it down and contained himself behind his uncle's back. "Okay, where exactly is this stall we're looking for?"

Iroh turned to his nephew, looking almost sheepish. "My informants told me it was next to a tart shop and a spice stand, but as you can see, there is not much variety in the wares of these sellers."

Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine, fine, how about we split up? I'll keep heading north, Sokka: you go west. Uncle... why don't you go east?" With that, Zuko stormed away.

Sokka shrugged at Iroh and went off in his own direction, having seen a particularly wonderful looking pasty stand that had something with some kind of beef and gravy filling.

Once he'd gotten his meat biscuit, he decided to get immediately to work. Though, he wasn't exactly sure why Zuko had him go alone. Sokka had never seen Ursa in person, just scroll paintings of what she looked like as the queen. He probably wouldn't recognize her. Because of that, he finally reasoned, it probably wouldn't have made a difference whether he went with Zuko or not.

Plus, this way he could stop at as many stands as he wanted. It seemed like a childish thing to do—he was supposed to be looking for Ursa. In fact, the only reason Zuko had invited him along was because he felt that Sokka would be able to help him find his mother. He tried to forget that part, though, and so tried not to acknowledge that he was definitely being selfish right now.

–

After walking around for such a long time, and alone at that, Sokka was slightly annoyed and, loathe to admit it, rather lost somewhere deep in an apparently labyrinthine market. It wasn't exactly the size that was making things difficult, but the further in he went, the more abnormal the shops and stalls became, and somehow he'd ended up in what could only be described as a shanty town. It also didn't help that nearly all the stores looked the same and only seemed to sell the same kinds of things.

Stumped, he sat on the lip of a fountain, looking down the varying paths that lead away. In a moment, he decided, he'd have to get up and find someone personable enough to ask for directions.

However, before he could stand a woman approached him. In the back of his head he tried to determine if she was Ursa, but... there was something about her that said lifelong poverty, and that would have been the last thing he expected to see in Ursa.

"Excuse me, young man, I've seen you wandering around the market place, and I was wondering if you'd like a little help."

Sokka sighed, brought himself to his feet and found the fact that he was taller than her felt awkward in some way. "Yeah, I came with my friend, and we're staying near the front gates of the city," he admitted, but was too much of a warrior to admit that he had absolutely no idea where he was.

The woman nodded, put her hand gently on Sokka's shoulder. "Well, come with me. You look a little tired. Are you in a hurry to get back?"

Sokka shook his head and the woman smiled brightly. "Good, good. My name is Bai Lian," she offered.

"I'm Sokka.", the Water tribesman said in return, and the older woman led him through the market to a small tea shop for some tea and conversation.

It was approaching dusk by the time they were both ready to part ways. Working through the mostly closed markets, Sokka realized that this was the first time in a long time that he was able to just freely talk about whatever was on his mind, and something occurred to him.

It was also the first time he freely let himself think about what he'd been putting off in his mind ever since he heard from Zuko.

"So, can I tell you about something?"

Bai Lian nodded. "I always find that, if something is bothering me, it helps me work things out to say it out loud to someone else."

"I think I'm in love," Sokka blurted, almost surprised himself by the words he had yet to even think in his head, and hearing his own voice say it had his heart pounding to suddenly think it.

Bai Lian nearly giggled with delight. "Congratulations, my friend!"

Sokka frowned just a fraction. "There's a problem, though," he said slowly.

Bai Lian's smile faded. "I'm sorry, what's keeping you apart?"

"Well... it's just that... I mean, he... " Sokka squeaked, covered his mouth. "Well, that... that's the problem. Also, he's engaged. It's tough." The thought made him feel like he'd been punched in the gut. Yeah, if he were in love with Zuko it wouldn't matter for a second. Iroh had said himself that Zuko needed to marry Mai for the sake of the world.

Bai Lian gasped. "Oh, sweetheart, you look so miserable! Is there anything you can do?"

Sokka wanted to sneer, wanted to say 'if I want to cause civil unrest, sure', but he kept his mouth shut on that. Instead, he found himself saying, "not that I can think of."

"Well," she began slowly, "you just have to remember that love, being pure and beautiful, will overcome any adversity, and if you two are really meant for each other things will work out in the end."

"What if... what if we aren't meant to be?", Sokka questioned, his mouth going dry at the prospect.

She patted his arm. "Then there's someone else still out there for you," she supplied, and Sokka tried to be comforted by the idea.

He didn't have long to dwell on it, however, as just seeing Zuko had the ideas flying from his mind as fast as lightning. Still, he gave his friend a smile. "Zuko! There you-"

"Mom?" Zuko interrupted, running at Bai Lian and wrapping his arms around her. "Mom, it's you!"

Sokka looked up at Bai Lian, noting the momentary shock and then the overwhelming joy that made her face light up. "Wha—bu—but she... you... Ursa?"

Iroh clapped Sokka on the shoulder. "Good work, my boy! You are an excellent tracker to have found her so quickly!"

Sokka watched as the mother and son embraced for a long moment, Ursa was crying, and Sokka could see the tears welling up in Zuko's eyes. He might have been the mighty Fire lord, but even Sokka had to admit that if anyone was given a second chance like Zuko it would make them cry just a little, too.

It was a long moment before either of the two seemed to realize they weren't alone and they turned on Sokka, both pulling him into the middle of a Fire nation royalty sandwich, lavishing him with gratitude.

Over Zuko's shoulder, he could see that Iroh was laughing at him.

After everyone was hugged and smothered with embarrassing affection, Ursa offered to take the three of them in for a little more comfort, and so they returned to their rented room and gathered their belongings and followed the former Fire nation princess back to her modest stone cabin.

"Shall I make a little supper for you gentlemen?", Ursa offered as soon as everyone was inside her home.

Unsurprisingly, all three men agreed that would be a good idea.

–

Zuko wasn't away from his mother for longer than a few minutes at a time, and the two stayed up well into the night catching up on what happened. Sokka listened mostly, unwilling to interrupt the rekindling of their mother-son bond. It also afforded him the opportunity to hear more details about Zuko's adolescence.

It wasn't until Zuko explained that he was now engaged, too, that it seemed to dawn on Ursa just who Sokka was talking about earlier. And suddenly, just knowing that he'd confessed feelings he himself wasn't even willing to admit to Zuko's mother had Sokka feeling strange inside.

When Iroh began nodding off and Ursa offered to show them to their beds, Sokka used it as a means to escape the awkwardness he felt growing the more Ursa looked at him in that knowing way. He figured sleep would be a welcome remedy.

But Sokka's dreams were plagued by hot heat, by fire in the tips of sharp, pale, fingers as they raked over his body, and all this, the pleasure in the act, turned into pain as sharp fingers convulsed into the sharp talons of a huge flaming dragon that lifted him up and began crushing him in its massive jaws like it was ready to swallow him up.

Sokka could feel warm breath across his face.

It was well after sunrise before Sokka finally woke. He could hear the muffled sounds of conversation from the main room of the house as well as the sound of Iroh snoring steadily on the other side of the room. He figured he hadn't slept long if Iroh was still asleep and Zuko and Ursa were still talking, but he knew he wouldn't be able to lay down again. He just felt too uneasy for that.

After a few minutes he finally sat up, rubbed his face and fixed his hair back into place before heading out to Zuko and Ursa.

"You didn't sleep long," Ursa greeted with a smile.

Zuko looked up at Sokka before averting his gaze back to his mother. "He's probably just excited to finally get to go home," he said.

Sokka sighed, slumping down at an empty seat at the table. "I wish that was the case. To be honest, I just had a nightmare," he confessed. Then he tried to think about it and shrugged. "I don't remember it, though."

"Well, that's probably for the better," Ursa said gently before slowly rising to her feet. "I suppose you boys are hungry again. I'll make you something good," she promised.

If there was one thing that could put Sokka at ease, it was good food. Of course, nothing beat the traditional Water Tribe dishes he grew up on, but Ursa was a damn fine cook, and best of all her dishes were full of delicious, tasty, meat!

It wasn't until Ursa was scooping up the final bites of her own meal when Zuko said, "So I think if we can pack your things by noon, we can be on our way home by nightfall."

Ursa froze, mid-bite, and calmly set her fork back down on the table. "Zuko..." she began wistfully, and suddenly Sokka knew something bad was about to come out of her mouth. "I cannot leave Lyu Shi."

Sokka could see the color drain out of Zuko's face. "What do you mean?" He tried to say it as calmly as possible, but he couldn't control the volume of his voice.

She looked away for a second, her expression pained. Without looking at either of the two men, she stood. "I think I should clear the table," she mumbled, reaching for Zuko's plate.

But Zuko grabbed her hand in both of his. "Please..." He sounded desperate.

Not that Sokka could blame him. This was the whole reason they had traveled this far into Earth Kingdom territory. This was the reason they had snuck into the city. Now it seemed like it was all for nothing.

"If you tell us the problem," Sokka offered, "then maybe we can help."

Zuko nodded.

Ursa's shoulders slumped and she dropped back into her chair. "It's complicated," she began. "Though... the truth is, it's actually very simple. It's the city."

"Don't tell me-"

Ursa held up her hand to silence her son. "The stone in the city is laced with a rare mineral. The Nuli mineral. Anyone who spends too long around it becomes infected, and the only cure is a special plant that grows along the river."

"We can take the plant with us then," Zuko declared.

Ursa shook her head. "It only thrives along the river. It dies everywhere else. It's impossible."

Sokka nodded. "I suppose that's why Lyu Shi doesn't allow just anyone into their city."

"That's true. Law dictates that an outsider must get special recommendation from a citizen. This is because it guarantees that any citizen who allowed an outsider to come into our city and risk getting infected would also be warned about the Nuli beforehand." She sighed, smiling ruefully. "It also guarantees that anyone stupid enough to still come anyway really deserve what they might get from visiting here."

Zuko nearly growled in frustration, and what he couldn't voice was still obvious on his face. "That can't be true! What about soldiers-"

"They only leave for a short while. They're able to take a small store of herbs, but it doesn't last quite long enough. Zuko... I would really rather not trouble you with this. I am quite content here, and even though I have missed you desperately these last many years I don't want to interfere with your work." She touched his cheek and smiled for his sake. "Your father and his father before him caused so much trouble for the whole world... and you have your hands full trying to undo all of that."

"But-"

"Just know that I'll be waiting here for you whenever you need me."

"I can at least buy you a nicer house. With servants an-and whatever else you need. I can at least make you live comfortably."

"Zuko, look at my hands," she said, presenting her palms, roughened up after years of manual labor. "These aren't the hands of a princess any longer. Honestly, have you ever really liked being waited on? Doing things for myself... it makes me happy. Not as happy as seeing you again, though. I can't tell you how much I love you, for coming to see me like this."

"My, my, judging by your intense expressions, I have missed something very important," Iroh suddenly said from across the room. The three at the table startled at the added voice.

Sokka smirked. "Yeah, you missed breakfast!"

–

It wasn't until nearly two days later when Ursa finally convinced Zuko to leave. Fearing their exposure to the Nuli, as well as Zuko's obvious absence from his throne, she did her best to coax him into returning even though she would have been just as happy keeping him with her, or going with him back to her homeland.

In the end, Ursa shared a long, sad, embrace with her son and whispered, "please write often," as she pulled away.

Then, she turned to Sokka and hugged him as well. "Do your best," she said, almost cryptically, before immediately turning to her brother-in-law to say farewell to him as well.

On the ride back to the ship, Zuko looked absolutely defeated.

"Nephew, you must not worry yourself. Your mother is alive and well, and that is much more than we had hoped for when we set out on this journey."

Zuko clenched his fists. "She's not well! If she were well we could've taken her back with us, but we obviously didn't!"

Iroh nodded. "Perhaps we should send our finest physicians to come to her aid. Perhaps they could find a cure to the infection of the Nuli mineral," he offered wisely.

End part two.


	3. Part three

Here's finally part three! It gets mature here, folks!

* * *

Back on the ship, Zuko barely said two words to anyone before locking himself up in one of the rooms. Probably to brood, Sokka thought.

There was a growing tension, something almost tangible. Sokka spent his days mostly with Iroh, busying himself by playing pai-sho and trying his damnedest to beat the older man even by a little. He could only wonder what Zuko was up to, all alone.

Being that it was tradition, the four of them only met during mealtimes, but even that was tense and silent, and for the first time Sokka found that he dreaded eating.

This lasted the better part of two days until Sokka was moving between the deck of the ship, after another crushing defeat at the hands of Iroh in pa-sho, to his room, where he planned to prepare himself for another meal spent in awkward discomfort, when he heard Zuko's pleading voice further down the hall.

"Mai—please. We promised each other we would see this through no matter what."

Sokka stopped short to listen, feeling guilty about the decision immediately.

"Zuko... I did love you once, but this... changes things."

"I just want what's right for my country," Zuko replied bitterly.

"You're unhappy with me. Just accept that you can't change this part of yourself even if it's for your country."

"You WILL marry me," Zuko suddenly growled. "No one refuses a Fire Lord."

"You're just refusing yourself."

"I'll see you at dinner," Zuko countered through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, Sokka could hear Zuko's thundering footsteps heading towards him. In a panic, Sokka dove into the nearest room but his heartbeat increased tenfold when he was able to recognize, through the lush red tapestries and the extravagant bed, that he'd put himself right in Zuko's bedroom.

The door quickly opened behind him and Zuko stopped in his tracks seeing the Water Tribesman, his fists clenching. "What are you doing here." Sokka couldn't move. Zuko advanced on him, grabbing Sokka's shoulders and slamming him into the wall. "Well?"

Sokka wasn't sure what to say. He'd been caught, but the last thing he wanted to do was make Zuko angry. "I..." Sokka looked away, unable to hold Zuko's heavy gaze.

But somehow, something out of place caught his eye. Hanging from the foot of Zuko's bed was something familiar.

Distracted, Sokka brought his hand up to his neck, his body quivering at the realization. "You took it," he whispered, mouth dry.

Zuko growled, quickly putting himself between Sokka and the whalebone necklace. "Don't change the subject!"

"You took it!" Sokka yelled back. "You took it on purpose, right? Like the tradition, you-"

"Just stop it, Sokka! Yes! I took it. What does it matter?"

Sokka pushed Zuko away. "Why did you take it? Just tell me."

"It doesn't matter," Zuko growled again.

The Water Tribesman frowned at his friend, his expression a mask to cover the pounding of his heart. "It clearly does matter!", he spat back.

"I don't have time for this," Zuko grumbled, turning to leave.

"NO!" Sokka suddenly grabbed Zuko's shoulder, intending to turn him back around, but Zuko was faster, pinning Sokka back against the wall.

"I am the Fire Lord, and you will not disrespect me like this!"

Sokka could feel warm breath across his face, Zuko had leaned in close enough for Sokka to be able to smell the tea he drank hours earlier. He could feel how hot Zuko's body was, being this close.

He could see steam rising from Zuko's nostrils, and despite the warning signs, somehow, inexplicably, he crashed his lips down on Zuko's.

The startled Fire Lord pulled away, staring, but only for a moment before he pushed Sokka out of the room.

Staring at the door, Sokka felt a wave of nausea nearly over come him.

–

Iroh told him they only had four days left together before they made it back to the capital, and Sokka figured the next four days would be the longest days of his life.

He was so sure of it now: he was in love with Zuko. Just thinking about the Fire Lord made his chest hurt, just remembering that brief kiss, the way Zuko smelled... It would all be okay if only Zuko wasn't so determined to marry Mai for the sake of his country. Mai was likely right when she said Zuko was refusing himself.

Especially considering what Zuko had taken from him.

But Sokka would be on his best behavior until he could get away. As much as he was sure that his feelings were returned he was sure that they could absolutely not be together without hurting the already fragile state of peace throughout the world.

He also had to consider what Zuko was likely going through trying to help his mother. Zuko just didn't need this on his plate.

At least Iroh was a great companion. Despite the tension, Iroh was always present at mealtimes and frequently challenged Sokka to pai-sho to pass time. He would often have scrolls and books delivered to Sokka about various fighting techniques, too.

Zuko and Mai were decidedly absent, and on the last night aboard the ship, Sokka was sure he wouldn't even be able to say good bye to his friend.

The worst part was that Sokka couldn't even sleep, he was so anxious. He knew without a doubt their last day together would be awkward and painful to a degree. Sokka sighed and rolled over for maybe the hundredth time.

But it was at that moment that someone knocked on the door softly, and for a second Sokka had to wonder if he had hallucinated it.

When there came another soft knock, Sokka stood, mind blank. He was absolutely certain who would be on the other side of the door when he opened it, and just as he thought, he found an awkward-looking Zuko waiting for him.

"Can we talk?", he asked softly, a hint of shame in his voice.

Sokka couldn't speak over the pounding of his heart and so opened the door wide and stepped to the side to accommodate Zuko.

Instead of sitting, which Sokka would have preferred, Zuko paced anxiously at the foot of the bed. Sokka stood near the door after closing it, and a long pause stretched between them.

"I know it's unfair of me to say anything after the other day," Zuko started hesitantly. "It's just..." Finally, as though the weight of the words he was about to speak were too heavy to handle, Zuko sat on the edge of Sokka's bed. "I have feelings for you. I mean, that's obvious because of this," he said, pulling Sokka's necklace from his pocket. "But at the same time, I know that I need to do what's right for the Fire Nation. After everything that's happened, I can't be selfish."

Sokka didn't know what to say, didn't know how to feel. It was as much as he'd expected, and yet it hurt like a fresh wound. Zuko couldn't pick him, as much as he wanted to, and Sokka decided that was much more painful than if Zuko didn't have any feelings for him at all.

Zuko looked up then. "At the same time, I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to lose whatever we have. I thought keeping my distance would make these feelings fade, but... even after five years I couldn't seem to give you up."

"So marry me," Sokka blurted, but he regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.

Zuko looked surprised, and Sokka couldn't help but notice the hopefulness in his eyes before he looked away again, grief setting in. "We're both men," he mumbled.

Sokka shook his head and closed in on Zuko, put his hands on his shoulders. He leaned in, cautiously, and kissed Zuko. Only, this time the Firelord couldn't pull away.

After a moment, Zuko responded with a definite edge of desperation, wrapping his arms around Sokka's waist and pulling him in closer than ever.

They kissed until they both lost their breath, and then Sokka pulled away and pressed his forehead to Zuko's. "For tonight, let's pretend that doesn't matter," he whispered. This, at least, this memory of them together would have to be enough to last him the rest of his life. If Zuko needed to marry Mai, then Sokka had no right to stop him.

Zuko nodded, moving back onto the bed with Sokka following closely. The two men embraced, bodies pressed tightly together, as their mouths met again in a hard kiss. Sokka licked Zuko's lips just as his hands gripped the Fire Lord's waist, and Zuko sighed in pleasure, accepting Sokka's tongue into his mouth.

Zuko tugged at the back of Sokka's shirt for half a second before giving up and sliding his hands up Sokka's toned back. Sokka pulled the tie at his waist and Zuko wasted no time trailing his hands around to Sokka's chest to push his shirt over his shoulders and expose more skin for him to touch.

Sokka kissed Zuko in earnest, mapping out his mouth with his tongue, nibbling his lips, tasting his teeth. He mirrored Zuko by running his hands up Zuko's stomach, trying to push his shirt up, and once the fabric had bunched up on Zuko's chest the Fire Lord pulled away momentarily to remove it all together.

Both men let out a small moan when their bodies pressed flush together, hot naked skin sliding against hot naked skin. Sokka didn't think anyone else would ever fit this perfectly in his arms—but it was no time to think like that.

He gingerly brushed one of Zuko's nipples and earned a small cry and an insistent thrust against his thigh. They'd barely started, Sokka realized, but already they were both unbearably hard. He ran his thumb over Zuko's nipple again, kissing him harder as he pushed a knee between Zuko's knees.

"Wait," Zuko muttered against his mouth. He began pulling away, but Sokka grabbed his arm to pull him back down again, though Zuko slipped out of his grip. He made quick work of the rest of his clothes, pulling off his boots and nearly ripping his pants in the struggle to be naked. Sokka was quick to follow his example, and in half a second the two men had rejoined in the middle of the bed.

Sokka shuddered at the feel of Zuko's erection nestled against his hip, hot and alive. His own in turn pressed into Zuko's bony hip. This was paradise. With Zuko clinging to him as though letting go would mean he'd fall off the earth, Sokka couldn't imagine anything better.

They kissed again, hard and needy. Sokka worried Zuko's bottom lip as Zuko kissed Sokka's top lip. He touched Zuko's nipple again, rolling it between his fingers and causing his partner to thrust against him and break their kiss to moan encouragement.

Sokka rolled on top of Zuko then, leaning down to kiss his neck, following a path from his collarbones to his chest where he licked Zuko's other nipple. Zuko arched his back and gripped the sheets below him, a moan caught in his throat.

That's when Sokka pulled back. "I have a confession to make," he said.

Zuko opened his eyes and looked up, his expression somewhere between arousal and annoyance.

"I've... never done this before," Sokka admitted sheepishly, his hand having not moved from Zuko's chest.

Without a word, Zuko sat up and shoved Sokka down, climbing on top of him and straddling his hips. Sokka moaned and bucked up against Zuko's ass just as the Fire Lord grinded down into him. "I'll tell you something," Zuko whispered harshly, "I haven't either." Sokka moaned just from Zuko's words, grabbing his hips and bucking up hard. Zuko cried out.

Sokka bucked again and Zuko hissed, grabbing Sokka's hands. "Wait, wait," he murmured, prying Sokka's hands from his thighs so he could lay out on top of him.

"Just... kiss me, okay?", Sokka said, and Zuko eagerly complied, rubbing himself against him in the process.

Sokka wrapped his arms around Zuko's waist, relishing in the feel of the Fire Lord's body. All hard lines and muscle, yet his skin remained soft save for his hands and his scars. His chest... marred by the thin line that was all that remained after what Azula did to him at the end of the war.

Zuko pressed his face into Sokka's neck and Sokka could feel the scar on his face. Another reminder. Together, his scars were visible proof of the burden of his position. To have survived the shame on his face and what could have been his death on his chest, over his heart, to have come this far... Sokka knew Zuko couldn't just give up now. He'd already lost so much to his country.

The Fire Lord reached between their bodies then, rough hands grasping at their cocks, pressing them together. Sokka gasped, arched. He could feel Zuko's heartbeat at the point where they were connected, he could feel the heat, the throbbing.

Sokka licked his lips. Zuko began to move his hand, and somehow Sokka couldn't believe that Zuko had never... never touched someone else this way. He dug his nails into Zuko's back and bucked against him, helpless to stop himself from crying out in pleasure.

Neither of them seemed to be able to last much longer than a few minutes, and when they were spent they kissed each other for a long while, relishing in the last moments they would be able to spend together.

In the end, it was entirely too soon when Zuko finally stood and redressed. Sokka followed him up to the door and stole one last kiss, trying to ignore the guilt plastered on Zuko's face.

"I'll see you off tomorrow," Zuko said quietly. "There's a ship already at the docks ready to take you home."

Sokka was afraid of what would come out of his mouth and so bit his lip and simply nodded.

–

Waking the next day was an experience in itself. Sokka wasn't sure how to feel, or how to act, after what had happened the night before.

He didn't know if he should regret it.

Sokka tried to keep his brain numb. If he only thought logically about it, he figured, it wouldn't hurt quite as much and he would be able to forget or learn to live with it.

With this in mind, Sokka packed his few things. When he reached the stuffed unicorn Zuko had won for him he was torn on what to do with it. On one hand he knew it was his to take with him, but at the same time just having it would be a reminder of what he was leaving behind when he went home and he wasn't sure if he could handle that.

Staring down at the pink plush, Sokka realized he had never before in his life thought choosing whether or not to keep a stuffed animal would be such a gravid decision.

Once he turned it over in his hands for a few minutes he decided not to keep it after all. Besides, it wouldn't fit in his ruck sack and he didn't want everyone to see him walking around with a cute stuffed toy that he'd inevitably have to lie about.

By then the ship had reached the dock and Sokka could already hear the strained hum of the expectant crowd waiting on the arrival of their Fire Lord. At the same time a guard had come to fetch Sokka, telling him beforehand which ship was the one he was supposed to board to head back to his homeland.

Sokka remained mute, only nodding in acknowledgment.

Top-side, the noise was almost deafening but that was to be expected. Zuko was their savior as well as their leader. After the war, all the work Zuko did to reverse it involved improving the lives of his citizens. The Fire Nation economy couldn't have been better—and it hadn't been, not in nearly 150 years.

Sokka was led to where Zuko and Iroh were waving at the crowd while the crew were busy preparing the gangplank for everyone to finally debark. Zuko barely acknowledged Sokka, but Iroh turned to him with a strange expression on his face—some odd mix of a smile with a guarded look in his eyes. Like he knew what happened. It made Sokka feel guilty and for once he found he couldn't look the older man in the eye.

"Sirs, we're ready to go ashore," said a nearby guard.

Zuko turned, emanating an almost surreal air of regality as he addressed his guard and then just as quickly dismissed him.

Then he turned on Sokka, and it was only then that Sokka could see the hidden darkness behind Zuko's golden eyes. "Once we disembark, you will be escorted to another ship to take you back to your tribe." He held out his hand for a handshake. "So this is goodbye," he said, the casual tone of his voice only just barely giving away how he really felt about saying goodbye.

Sokka smiled and took Zuko's hand. "Come on, you say that like it's forever!" It didn't seem to cheer Zuko up, though. It didn't even cheer up Sokka. The next time they would probably see each other would be at Zuko and Mai's wedding.

After that, they were swept up in a flurry of activity. All of them were shuffled about by the crew of the ship who led Sokka one way and Zuko the other, and Sokka wasn't even given the chance to watch his friend disappear into the surge of citizens waiting about. Instead, he was brought further down the peer, down to a smaller, less extravagant vessel.

"This is one of the fastest ships in the fleet," the soldier commented off-handed. "Since the crew plans to do some work near the Southern Water Tribe, you'll be home in under a few days."

Sokka hesitated for a long moment, then turned back to the soldier. "Wait... what if I want to stay here for a while? No one even asked me if I wanted to stick around. You know, LAST time I came to the capital, I was being hunted like a criminal."

"Accommodations would be made inside or out of the capital at your request. Only the best for friends of the Fire Lord himself." The soldier seemed to sneer just a bit in his words, but Sokka accepted it.

Sticking around seemed like the last thing he should do if he ever wanted to nurse his broken heart, but he figured he'd much rather go down fighting than just accept Zuko's stubbornness.

Besides, Zuko still had his whalebones. And if Zuko refused to abandon his nation's traditions for Sokka, then Sokka would refuse to abandon his own.

–

Sokka wrote to Katara first thing after getting into a little place of his own in the capital. Zuko might have been shipping out his best medics, but Sokka was going to do him one better than Zuko would ever do for himself.

Katara could bend blood, and she brought Aang back from death once. There had to be something she could do for the Nuli, and of all the people Zuko would ask... Katara would be the last on the list. It seemed like everyone except Zuko knew that what happened to Sokka and Katara's mother wasn't his fault.

And maybe it was just womanly intuition that made it happen, but Katara, with Aang in tow, made it to the Fire Nation in record speed.

"I bet Appa's tired," Sokka said when his little sister showed up at his front door.

Katara frowned deeply, shoving him back into his one-room apartment. "This isn't the time to be making jokes," she warned. Aang gave Sokka an apologetic smile as he brushed passed him.

Sokka shut the door and followed the two into the main living space.

Katara turned then, almost immediately. "So what's this about Zuko's mother?"

Aang gently took Katara's hand. "Let's all sit first," he suggested, leading the water-tribe girl over to a chair.

Once they were all seated, Aang began first. "I'm glad she's alive, at least."

It seemed to hang in the air for a moment. It was the one thing everyone was the most grateful. In his head, Sokka could see the crosses in the graveyard in the middle of the night, and he shivered.

"But she's sick," Katara added, voice subdued.

"But maybe you can fix her," Sokka said.

Katara kept her eyes on the floor, her loose hair obscuring her face. "I don't know," she finally said.

Aang slid his hand over her's, and Katara looked up at him.

"Okay," Katara said, her voice giving away the building confidence Aang's touch seemed to inspire. "If we take Appa, we can get to Lyu Shi in as much as two days."

Without so much as another word, the three were off. Like old times, Katara, Sokka, and Aang piled into Appa's carry basket.

"Can't say I missed this," Sokka mumbled.

Aang laughed. "Don't worry, I brought a pack of cards this time!"

They reached Lyu Shi in two excruciatingly long days, and wiled their way into the city with the Avatar's charms. Ursa was exactly where she'd been weeks earlier, too.

"I'm surprised you returned so soon," she chided softly, inviting the three of them in. "And I see you brought the Avatar."

"I brought something better," Sokka answered quickly, presenting his sister to Ursa. "This is Katara, a water-bender—a healer."

Ursa led them all to the table after introductions were made.

"I don't know what you plan to do for me," Ursa confessed. "I'm sorry you traveled all this way."

"Not at all," Katara said flippantly. "But I would like to get as much information as possible on this Nuli virus." Then she looked pointedly at Sokka, and then at Aang. "Maybe it would be better if I did this privately with Ursa."

"Sheesh, I can take a hint!" Sokka said, voice light, standing from the table. "C'mon, Aang, you would like the kind of stuff they sell in this city."

Aang bounced to his feet. "You're so right!"

Sokka couldn't have cared less, but he pretended for his friend's sake.

"Will a few hours be long enough?" Aang asked Katara.

She nodded. "Give us at least until dark. Maybe you should look into that thing we talked about earlier."

Aang straightened up a bit. "I'll try," he confessed.

"Well, we'll see you ladies later, I guess." With that, Sokka gave the pair each a hug and led the Avatar out to the marketplace.

For the first hour, Aang was a bundle of energy, buzzing to and fro between the stalls, saying "Oh Sokka! Hyacinths!", and "Look at these buds, Sokka!", and Sokka's favorite so far, "Come smell this dirt, Sokka!"

"Sokka..." Aang suddenly began after walking away from a stand.

His serious mood set Sokka on edge. Even though Aang and Katara had both mostly grown up, Sokka still only saw Aang as that scrawny pre-teenaged monk. He wasn't a child anymore, though. None of them were children.

"I should probably tell you something important. Well, a few things, but... but about Zuko, I-"

"I really don't have anything to say about Zuko," Sokka nearly snapped.

Aang didn't even flinch. "I do. Look, I need to tell you that I was the one who told Zuko to invite you. I thought if you two were... "

Sokka turned on Aang, trying not to look as angry as he really felt. People were eying them, eying the way he was acting around the Avatar.

He took a breath. "Why?"

"Do you want to go for a ride on Appa and talk about it there?"

Sokka sighed. Aang blew his whistle and summoned Appa to pick them up.

In the carry basket, Aang was quick to return to the matter at hand. "I'm sorry I didn't answer down on the ground. I could tell this is making you very angry."

"It's not that, it's not... not your fault I'm angry." Sokka stumbled over his words, trying to convey his best that his mood wasn't because of his friend, even though, yeah, a tiny part of it was his fault.

"I knew Zuko missed you. I could tell that he always wanted something more from Katara's news reports about the South Pole, but he never asked about you."

Aang laughed. "Don't look so disappointed! He did ask, just once. It must have taken a lot to lower his defenses and admit that he was missing you when he asked me what you were doing."

"It ended badly," Sokka confessed.

Aang nodded. "I expected it might, Zuko's a downright mess when it comes to doing things for himself. So what are you going to do to win him over?"

Sokka couldn't meet Aang's eyes. "I don't know. I don't know if I can... do anything." He couldn't believe how painful it was to say those words. There was nothing he could do.

"Everything will work out in the end," Aang offered.

"It's easy to say that," Sokka said.

"It's easy for me to say that—I'm the Avatar, after all. I mean, I can't predict the future, but I've gotten pretty good at performing miracles." Aang grinned at that.

The whole conversation was making Sokka rather uncomfortable, though. "Well, it's getting dark anyway. Do you think Katara's finished?"

"I'm sure they are," Aang agreed. His easy smile never left his face, and Sokka couldn't help but feel jealousy.

–

The four sat around the table in silence for a moment. Ursa stood, collecting a letter from the kitchen before returning. "A letter arrived from Zuko while you boys were out," she said.

"Why didn't you tell me Zuko was going to send doctors and healers?"

"Katara, look, I knew you would be the best choice! Didn't you heal her?" Sokka defended himself.

Katara sighed, Ursa covered the small smile on her face with her hand. "I'm sure it's only temporary, but I was able to wash the Nuli toxins out of her bloodstream. Ursa," she said, looking only at the older woman, "you need to leave now, with us, if you don't want to get infected again."

Ursa nodded slowly. "I suppose I should pack my things," she said as she stood to go to her room.

Aang was beaming at Katara. "You're amazing!", the Avatar admonished, and Katara blushed.

Sokka rolled his eyes and looked away when they kissed each other.

It took Ursa just under an hour to collect her necessities, and only a few minutes after that the four of them were in the sky headed for the Fire Nation.

"I wrote Zuko to tell him we're coming," Ursa said. "I told him about all of us," she said pointedly, looking at Sokka.

Sokka looked away, unsure what to think.

–

They arrived at the palace in the dead middle of the night, yet Zuko was bright-eyed and waiting for them to land at Appa's normal roost.

Ursa went straight for Zuko and the two hugged each other fiercely. "I'm so glad to see you," Ursa whispered. Zuko just nodded.

After a long moment, he pulled away but kept his arm wrapped around his mother's arm. "I have rooms set up for all of you. Aang, Katara, your usual apartment is open. And Sokka, you'll be sleeping next to my mother's room. Mom?"

"Lead the way, Zuko," Ursa said with a smile.

Any kind of visiting royalty was given quarters down the same hall as the Firelord's apartment, which sat at the very end of the row of twelve apartments, six on either side. Aang and Katara slipped into one of the apartments at the front of the hall, saying good-night wearily, as though they were ready to sleep standing up.

Sokka awkwardly followed the mother-son pair further down the hall, until they stopped just short of Zuko's apartment. "Sokka, this room will be yours. There's night clothes set out, and a bath waiting if you're interested.

Sokka yawned, nodded. "Good night, Zuko. Night, Ursa."

"Good night, Sokka," Ursa said in return before the Water Tribesman slipped into his luxury room.

The apartment given to him was huge and empty. A sitting area occupied the front of the room, with a small empty cart that was likely meant for tea and snacks when the time was appropriate, and further back was a partition that hid a huge bed and a dresser and mirror.

Like Zuko said, there were night clothes laid out on the bed for him, and Sokka could smell the clean steam coming from the tub just through the door to the left.

Not wanting to waste the water, Sokka opted for the hot bath before redressing in the Fire Nation bed clothes and climbing in the red satin blankets. The bed itself was big enough to fit the floor of a typical Water Tribe hut. Sokka couldn't have stayed awake if he tried.

In the morning, everyone was gathered for a small breakfast in the sun room in Zuko's apartment. It was at this time that Sokka began to really notice Mai's absence.

It was Katara that spoke first. "Where is Mai off to today?"

"She's doing voluntary missionary work," Zuko said succinctly.

"O-ohh... that sounds nice." Katara said.

Zuko nodded, picking at his food now. After a moment, he sighed and looked up. "The truth is, she called our marriage off. We're just pretending to be engaged until things get better in the country. It's just so..."

"Stupid," Sokka finished, giving Zuko a pointed look.

Zuko frowned. "Yeah, it's... stupid," he echoed.

Ursa shook her head. "I don't think you two were meant for each other." She patted Zuko's hand. "You'll find the one, though. They're out there somewhere," she concluded.

After breakfast, Zuko needed to return to work. Aang and Katara gave Sokka and Ursa a tour of the palace—though Ursa was as familiar with the walls as Zuko himself. At lunch time, the four of them ate a picnic of cold foods and fresh fruit in the gardens. A few hours later, they had afternoon tea like proper royals, and for dinner they needed to dress up to eat in the dining hall. Sokka was sat far at the end of the table, next to Katara and a squat Fire Nation man who squinted his eyes so much Sokka kept thinking he'd fallen asleep at the table.

There was a huge party later that night, and Sokka spent the better part of the evening watching Zuko laugh and talk proper with his mother and his Fire Nation friends, and taking huge gulps of fire whiskey every time Zuko glanced at him, his eyes full of guilt and apology.

It was late when Sokka stumbled into his apartment, completely shit-faced. He threw himself on the bed, but he couldn't close his eyes and the ceiling was spinning rapidly. After a moment, he turned on his side and was able to sleep fitfully, his mind intensely focused on Zuko, Zuko's smile, his brittle laughter at the party. His body writhing naked on top of his own.

Sokka gasped awake in the middle of the night. Earlier, he could hear raucous laughter and music even as far as his apartment, but now it was completely silent.

Sokka sat up, still mostly drunk and a little dizzy, and hard, too, after thinking about Zuko. About having sex with Zuko.

Standing, he straightened his clothes, tried to calm himself down, before going out into the hall and down to Zuko's room.

He knocked loudly, several times, and had enough sense to stop and wait for an answer. Zuko opened the door hastily, eyes going wide to see Sokka.

"What do you want," Zuko asked, sounding as though it took effort to keep his voice even.

Sokka fixed him with a level gaze, standing as straight as possible. "I want you," Sokka murmured, shoving Zuko back into his room until he bumped into the back of a couch. Sokka leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth.

Zuko's arms immediately came up to wrap around Sokka, drawing him in impossibly close. Sokka whimpered. "I want you so bad," he whined, burying his face in Zuko's neck, grinding his hips into Zuko's hips.

Zuko tensed up after a second, looking down at Sokka. "You're drunk."

Sokka shook his head. "It doesn't matter... I'd... I'd do this anyway." He thrust against Zuko. "Please just..." He grabbed Zuko's hip for leverage. "We both want this, so-"

Zuko cut Sokka off with a hard kiss, digging his fingers into Sokka's back. After a long, long, moment, Zuko lead Sokka back to his bed.

The two stripped in silence and climbed under the blankets together.

Zuko became more aggressive then, pushing Sokka back so he could climb on top of him, kiss him rough, bite his lips. Sokka moaned. Zuko hissed.

"Your body is amazing," Sokka admonished softly, running his hands along Zuko's back, his hands moving even lower without any sense of inhibition.

Zuko smirked. "So is yours," he said, his own hand moving to grip Sokka's cock. Sokka gasped, bucking against Zuko's fingers.

"I hope you're ready to stay up all night," Sokka suddenly said, grabbing Zuko's shoulders and rolling them over so Sokka was on top. "Because I don't plan on stopping until dawn."

"Good," Zuko said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his sanity as Sokka was grinding his ass along Zuko's erection. "There are a few things I want to try." Zuko gripped Sokka's hips then, and bucked up, bucked hard.

Sokka threw his head back. "Anything!"

–

By morning, Sokka felt thoroughly fucked. The things Zuko wanted to do... Sokka hadn't known before then that two men could do those things, but he definitely wasn't complaining.

Zuko kissed Sokka long and gentle against the door to the hallway. "I'll come back tonight and we can pick up where we left off," Sokka mumbled against Zuko's bottom lip.

"If you don't I'll have you put to death for lying," Zuko threatened.

When Sokka slipped out, he wasn't sure if Zuko was joking.

The next night, Sokka arrived at Zuko's room right at midnight. When Sokka shut the door behind him, he found Zuko standing before him, completely naked. He was holding up a small vial of oil. "I think it's your turn tonight," he said.

Sokka didn't think he could get his clothes off fast enough.

Zuko had left a nasty love bite too high on Sokka's neck, and at breakfast, Katara gave him a strange look that seemed to be a cross between a smile and a grimace. Aang's eyes shone, which obviously meant he knew. Ursa said she had a good remedy for that, but then winked which meant she really didn't have a remedy.

Sokka didn't care.

Zuko smiled all morning, almost dazed. Sokka never wanted that look to leave his face.

That night, Zuko convinced Sokka to try a position that required them to cradle the other's head between their knees and use their mouth. Sokka explored Zuko's penis for hours, and only stopped because he was getting a pain in his shoulder from the way he had been laying.

They kissed until they drifted to sleep together.

The following night, they slipped into Zuko's bath together.

Three more nights of blissful sex followed, and neither of them could have been happier.

Sokka wished it could last forever, but Aang was beginning to hint that he was ready to get back on the road. Sokka would have to go with them, or go back to his small apartment outside of the palace.

It was already obvious to their loved ones what was going on between them.

After lunch, Aang came and awkwardly invited him to his and Katara's apartment for a quick talk.

–

Sokka burst into Zuko's study, where the Firelord was talking to a young royal woman. He marched up to Zuko and grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

Zuko was stunned still, not daring to look away from Sokka's face.

"Do you love me?"

Zuko's lips were moving slightly, but no sound came out.

"Do you?" Sokka asked again, desperately.

Zuko swallowed hard. "Of course I do, it's just that... I just-"

"Just can't BE with me because I'm not a woman?"

Zuko's face suddenly looked strained.

"Because I can't have a baby?" Sokka continued.

Sokka pulled away, and it was then that Zuko noticed Katara standing in the doorway.

She put her hand on her stomach and smiled. "Meet your heir," she said.

* * *

End story.

There's a sequel in the works!


End file.
